Fourth of July Festival planning underway

Planning for the annual Independence Day Festival is underway, with people invited to come to Pepin Park to help with and to enjoy the event.

“You can enjoy the company of your neighbor and it’s fun being outside,” event co-organizer Sherri Simonson said. “I just think that it’s an event for Havre, and it’s supported by Havre.” 

Every summer for the past 19 years the festival has been held in Pepin Park for the Fourth of July. The festival is open to the community at large and provides a free lunch, activities and live music.

The organizers are doing something new this year, Simonson said. This fall, a large number of National Guard troops will deployed, about 300 service members, and Simonson invited people at the festival to buy a Blue Star which will be presented to service members’ families.

People will have the chance to write a well-wishes note to the family and the stars will be given out at a Yellow Ribbon event before soldiers deploy, she said. She added that the stars are a dollar each and mean a lot to the families who receive them.

“They can recognize their local service members,” she said.

The July Fourth event will start at noon with a flag ceremony done by local Scouts, followed by the National Anthem, sung by a special guest. Lunch will be served at 12:15 to 2 p.m.

She said Allen “Woody” Woodwick and his late brother Vince organized the festival for years. Over time, more and more people came to the event, she added.

After Vince Woodwick died, she got involved with the planning, Simonson said. Woodwick did a lot of the behind-the-scenes work, such as setting up the use of the park and getting vendors and food organized.

“My favorite part is just that everybody is very gracious,” she said. “It’s great to walk around and greet people and lots of thank yours, everybody enjoying the music and being close to neighbors.”

Woody Woodwick said four to five bands are expected to perform at the festival, such as Emily Simonson, Gene Allen and Friends, a group with Sharon Dolph and his own band, Blind Luck, but more bands can contact him to get involved.

“We will fit them in,” he said. “It’s a community celebration and that’s what we want to do to celebrate.”

Simonson said that people are encouraged to bring their own chairs for the event.

She added that the BNSF Railway yard, car and diesel shops have donated all the hamburger which will be served at the event. The Havre Lions Club will be cooking and serving at the event.

A donation bucket will be set up at the event and, although the event is free, any donations will go toward paying for next year’s festival, she said.

“We encourage people to donate because the money goes toward other food and stuff for event,” she said.

Everyone will get one burger and hotdog, beans, potato chips, watermelon and dessert, with water and or soda, which is typically donated by Coca-Cola, she said.

Last year, they served more than 1,300 plates, she added.

For the first time, nachos will be sold at the event for $2 a boat, with the money going to next year’s festival, she said. 

Simonson said that no vendors will be at the event this year, but Set Free Ministries will be providing snow cones for free at the food table.

The event also will feature children’s activities, such as face painting, games and Cory Pierson doing balloon tying, she said. Every year they also have a raffle table, with donated items raffled off with drawings during the festival. All the money goes to the festival to keep event going. 

“It’s just a great event if people don’t have anywhere to go for the Fourth of July that we have a pretty stellar activity right here at home,” she said.

Volunteers are welcome to participate in setting up the event, Simonson said. Setup starts at 8 a.m. and volunteer servers are also welcome to join. Volunteers wil be fed at 11:30 a.m., before the event. People interested in volunteering can either show up in the morning to help or call her in advance at 399-5672.